Patients as Partners
Last updated on January 30, 2020
The Patients as Partners Initiative was founded on the principle of, “nothing about me, without me.” This continues to be our aim: to ensure the patient, family and caregiver voice is incorporated at all levels of the health-care system.
The work of Patients as Partners is focused on three main areas:
Person- and Family-Centred Health Care
We collaborate with a range of stakeholders and work to provide leadership, tools and resources that help integrate patients’ and families’ voices, choices and representation in health-care system decision making.
Chronic Disease Self-Management
We fund and help coordinate a range of free, publicly available self-management programs, training and education sessions, peer supports, and resources for patients, families and caregivers.
For a full list of upcoming events, visit our Activity Calendar for Patients, Families and Caregivers​.
Engagement
We help build engagement capacity by providing training to health sector staff, leading engagement sessions to support Ministry priorities, and providing free engagement tools and resources on our website.
Impact and Evaluation
Collective Impact 2018-19
Patients as Partners Collective impact Summary 2018-19 (PDF, 649KB)
This document summarizes the results of the collective evaluation of services and events supported through Patients as Partners for the 2018-19 fiscal year. Anonymous surveys were voluntarily completed following participation in events and services, either in-person or online. Across all six funded partners, 1,666 participants completed these surveys. In addition, a total of 32 patients, family caregivers, health-care providers and staff participated in interviews and a focus group sharing their experiences and reflections on participating in Patients as Partners activities. The results are summarized by the three categories in the Patients as Partners Evaluation Framework: Better Health, Improved Experience and Sustainable Cost.
Engagement Tools and Resources
Patient, Family, Caregiver and Public Engagement Framework
Patient, Family, Caregiver and Public Engagement Framework 2018 (PDF, 1.4MB)
This document helps guide patient, family, caregiver, and public engagement in British Columbia. The Framework defines the three categories of engagement (Individual Care, Community Engagement and System Redesign) and provides information about the spectrum of engagement, why engagement should be carried out, principles of engagement, and best practices for engagement.
Engagement Planning Guide
Engagement Planning Guide (PDF, 2.3MB)
The Planning Guide provides a step-by-step approach to the planning, design, management, reporting and evaluation of community or system level engagement activities. Each stage and associated steps is outlined in the document with supporting examples with blank templates provided in the appendices.
Engagement Planning Summary (PDF, 876KB)
This Summary acts as a quick reference for the steps involved in engagement planning.
Example Engagement Forms: Confidentiality, Conflict of Interest and Consent and Release
The Patients as Partners Initiative has developed three forms that are used when leading a patient and public engagement session. The need for each form will vary depending on the requirements of each engagement. These forms are examples only and are not intended for external use.
The Consent and Release (Adult) (PDF, 62KB) and Consent and Release (Minor) (PDF, 63KB) are used to obtain participant consent to collect data, photographs, video and information during events that can be used for reporting after the engagement.
The Confidentiality Acknowledgment (PDF, 58KB) (is an agreement between two parties for information to be kept confidential.
The Conflict of Interest Statement (PDF, 101KB) is used to identify where participants may have a conflict of interest that could inappropriately influence (bias) their actions.
Tip Sheets for Engaging Different Populations
The tip sheets provide guidance and support to health-care organizations in their patient, family and community engagement activities.
- Primary Care (PDF, 251KB)
- Mental Health and Substance Use (PDF, 241KB)
- Seniors with Complex Medical Conditions (PDF, 251KB)
- Surgery (PDF, 275KB)
- Rural and Remote (PDF, 241KB)
- Intercultural Communities (PDF, 249KB)
- Family Caregivers (PDF, 228KB)
- Tips for Writing Policy Related to Person- and Family-Centred Care (PDF, 416KB)
Stories of Engagement
These stories provide a synopsis of different engagements carried out by Health Authorities, and other partners addressing a specific topic and subject area. Each of the stories briefly explains the type of engagement, the topic and subject matter and the outcome of the engagement.
- Trans Care Program for British Columbians Led by Trans British Columbians (PDF, 344KB)
- Ministry of Health’s Primary Care Home Engagement (PDF, 373KB)
- Provincial Pain Summit 2017 (PDF, 414KB)
- Northern Health’s Person- and Family-Centred Care Strategy Engagement (PDF, 318KB)
- Royal Columbian Hospital Designed by Patients and Family (PDF, 422KB)
- Mount Waddington Health Network (PDF, 358KB)
- Royal Jubilee Hospital Engagement (PDF, 367KB)
- Future of Seniors' Care Co-Designed by Seniors (PDF, 363KB)
- Keeping Seniors Well Community Forums (PDF, 313KB)
Annual Engagement Events
About
Through the Patients as Partners Initiative, the Ministry of Health funds, organizes and hosts an annual forum (known in the past as the Provincial Annual Dialogue or Regional Tables) for 100 -150 patients, families, caregivers, health-care providers, health authority staff, community partners and non-profit organizations from across the province. In the past, participants have learned about the progress of Ministry of Health strategic priorities and have provided input on how they believe heath care organizations should be engaging patients and their families for health care improvement.
2019 Community Conversations Event
This one-day event brought together patients, families, caregivers, health-care providers, Ministry of Health representatives, health authority staff, community organizations, and health sector partners to provide opportunities for meaningful engagement; ensure purposeful engagement on topics that matter to participants; and provide information to participants based on input from last year’s session.
2019 Community Conversations Summary Report (PDF, 3.1MB)
Topics discussed at the Community Conversations event included: Digital Health Technology; the Need to Fine Tune Community Engagement; Person and Family-Centred Health Care; and Lessons Learned on Team-Based Care with the Chinese Community.
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2018 Regional Engagement Tables
In 2017-2018, the Patients as Partners Initiative changed the format for the Annual Dialogue from one large engagement session to multiple regionally based engagement events across the province. This change in format enabled the Ministry of Health to engage a greater number, and diversity, of patients, families, caregivers, health authority staff and clinicians throughout the province on the following topics: access to primary care; challenges and opportunities for rural and remote communities; urgent primary care centres and shared care plans; access to health for urban indigenous people; and person- and family-centred care.
- October 17, 2017 in Kelowna: Interior Regional Engagement Table Executive Summary (PDF, 704KB)
- December 13, 2017 in Nanaimo: Island Regional Engagement Table Executive Summary (PDF, 834KB)
- January 16, 2018 in Abbotsford: Fraser Regional Engagement Table Executive Summary (PDF, 921KB)
- February 5, 2018 in Vancouver: First Nations and the Provincial Health Services Authorities Regional Engagement Table Executive Summary (PDF, 1.0MB)
- February 6, 2018 in Vancouver: Round-up Table Executive Summary (PDF, 909KB)
Earlier Provincial Annual Dialogues
On February 28, 2017, the Ministry of Health hosted the Patients as Partners’ provincial Annual Dialogue event, which brought together patients, health-care providers and staff to share their lived experience. It generated new ideas on how to improve patient- and family-centred care in the province. Input has been shared with policy makers in the ministry and health authorities.
Activity Calendar
To access self-management programs, training and education sessions, peer supports, and resources, visit the Activity Calendar for Patients, Families and Caregivers.
All events are free and open to the public.
Participant Evaluation
In 2018-19, participants in Patients as Partners events and services reported:
To learn more, see the Collective Reach Infographic 2018-19 (PDF, 455KB) and the Collective Impact Summary 2018-19 (PDF, 649KB).
Contact information
PatientsasPartners@gov.bc.ca
The International Association of Public Participation honoured Patients as Partners with the 2016 Canadian Organization of the Year Award for its leading practices in public and patient engagement.